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Education:

• Ph.D. Biology California Institute of Technology
• B.S. Chemistry University of Winnipeg

Overview

Arash received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of Winnipeg and a Ph.D. in Biology from the California Institute of Technology. He did his postdoctoral research at the University of Utah before joining the Pharmaceutical Sciences faculty in August 2007. He is also a Ph.D. trainer in Genetics, in Cellular and Molecular Biology, and in the Molecular Biosciences Training Grant Program.

The incredible diversity and complexity of biological systems is controlled by when and where genes are turned on and off. In the past twenty-five years, we have learned a great deal about the mechanisms that determine "where" genes are expressed. In contrast, we know very little about the mechanisms that determine "when" genes are expressed. Our ultimate goal is to understand the mechanisms that control the proper timing and order of biological processes during development. We have taken a forward genetic approach to address this problem, identifying mutations that disrupt the temporal progression of development in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. We are using this novel collection of mutations to tackle two main projects, both with the premise that proper temporal control depends on small molecules that communicate, coordinate and execute biological programs within the context of a developing multicellular organism. First, we are studying the mechanisms of steroid hormone triggered programmed cell death as a model system to understand how cells respond in a stage and tissue specific manner to global, organism-wide, signals. Second, we are studying the regulation of major life cycle transitions to understand how the release (or timing) of critical developmental signals controls the proper temporal progression of development. Together, these studies are providing an experimental framework within which to study the mechanisms of developmental timing.

Work-Related Interests/Research:

Molecular genetics of hormone action and developmental timing.

Highlighted Publications:

• Wang, L., Evans, J., Andrews, H., Beckstead, R., Thummel, C.S. and A. Bashirullah. Genetic control of steroid-triggered cell death in Drosophila. (in preparation).
• Yin, V., Thummel, C.S., and A. Bashirullah (2007). Down-regulation of IAP levels provides competence for steroid-triggered cell death. Journal of Cell Biology 178, 85-92.
• Bashirullah, A., Lam, G., Yin, V., and C.S. Thummel (2007). dTrf2 is required for transcriptional and developmental responses to ecdysone during Drosophila metamorphosis. Developmental Dynamics (in press).
• Bashirullah, A.*, Pasquinelli, A.E.*, Kiger, A.A., Perrimon, N., Ruvkun, G., and C.S. Thummel (2003). Coordinate regulation of small temporal RNAs at the onset of Drosophila metamorphosis. Developmental Biology 259, 1-8.
• Ward, R.E.*, Reid, P.*, Bashirullah, A.*, D'Avino, P.P., and C.S. Thummel (2003). GFP in living animals reveals dynamic developmental responses to ecdysone during Drosophila metamorphosis. Developmental Biology 256, 389-402.